Torrential Downpour
by Evil's Muse
Summary: A girl goes for a ride in the woods, but stupidly, gets caught in a storm. She gets hit on the head and wakes up in another Age.
1. Chapter 1: Clunk!

I do not own anything associated with Lord of the Rings; not Legolas, not Aragorn, or Gimli or any of the rest of them. Though I wish I did.  
  
Chapter One  
  
It was a gorgeous day, with brilliant blue skies and a soft, gentle breeze. Well, it would have been a gorgeous if not for the menacing black thunderclouds in the distance. It was a lovely afternoon all the same and I couldn't pass up the excellent opportunity to go riding. I was up at the log cabin my mother had built when I was about eleven with one of my good friends, vacationing from the torture that was school. Oh the second hill of our property there was a small wooded area. It was the perfect place to take a nice hike and with my newly acquired stables. I had created several nice trails as well.  
  
"I'm going for a ride! I'll be back later!" I shouted over my shoulder as I exited the house and headed towards the barn.  
  
"Don't stay out too long; it's supposed to storm!" my friends called after me.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" I said. Famous last words.  
  
I got to the barn and saddled my prize-winning Quarter Horse. He was a brilliant tall half Arabian beauty. He was a dark buckskin and could turn corners tighter than any horse I've known. I called him the Secretariat of barrel racing. Ironically, his name was Fred.  
  
Fred and I headed out into the woods, following the most recent path I had made. It was sometime in early fall, when the ticks were gone and the deer season still lingered among fallen branches. It was absolutely wonderful.  
  
It had been an hour at least when I heard the sound of thunder. I looked up through the trees to realize that it had become quite a bit darker than before. I guess I should head back, I thought to myself as I reluctantly turned Fred around. I urged Fred into a trot as the thunder became louder and the darkness increased.  
  
"Wouldn't that be something if I got caught in the rain," I muttered. Just as if the gods had heard me, rain began to filter through the trees.  
  
"Figures," I sighed.  
  
The rain wasn't bad at first; it was barely a drizzle, but it grew steadily harder until it became a downpour.  
  
"Great, just great," I said angrily as I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. The rain, however, was just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently I was in for a full-fledged thunderstorm. Hail came pelting down as lightning periodically lighted the now black sky. The storm moved quickly and before I knew what happened, it was right on top of me.  
  
Thunder cracked and rolled constantly as purple flashes of light ripped through the sky. On top of it all, Fred was acting up. He seemed to like the thunder just as much as I did. All of the sudden there was an ear- splitting crack from overhead as the lightning hit the tree. Fred reared and I looked up just in time to see a branch come crashing down on me.  
  
  
  
I vaguely remember waking up once and seeing a vast plain scattered with large boulders through half open eyes. Amazingly, I was still in the saddle, though I wasn't aware of it at the time. I heard the distant sound of hoof beats and then faint voices just as I blacked out again.  
  
* * * * * * * 


	2. Chapter 2: The Wounded Stranger

Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were riding swiftly across the plains of Rohan towards Edoras. Gandalf was leading the way, but with his elven eyes Legolas saw the furthest. It was he who first spotted the stranger.  
  
"Gandalf," he called, "there is something up ahead." Gandalf slowed his horse, Shadowfox, to draw even with the elf and the dwarf who sat behind him.  
  
"What do you see?" he asked.  
  
"It looks like a rider," Legolas said, squinting to see the same clearer, "headed towards Edoras. He is slumped limply over his saddle. He.he looks." Legolas paused. "dead."  
  
"Strange indeed is it when a rider ventures out alone through the plains these days," commented Aragorn. "We should ride to him, and aid him. That is, if there is any aid left to be given. He could very well be a messenger of the Riddermark!"  
  
They spurred their horses on with greater speed and came upon the stranger rather quickly. Gimli, the dwarf, grunted at seeing the rider up close. "What land clads their people in such queer attire?"  
  
Aragorn rode up alongside the man and pulled him in an upright position. His head rolled to one side and his face was drenched in blood.  
  
"I fear we have come too late," he sighed.  
  
Legolas stared at the man quizzically. He was different somehow. Suddenly he noticed a small flicker of his eyelids.  
  
"No," he said swiftly, "this man is yet alive!" He pulled on the horses other side and placed his hand in front of the man's face. "I can feel his breath. There is still hope!"  
  
"We shall take him with us to the Golden Hall of Medulsed," said Gandalf. "Quickly, bind him to his horse so he will not fall. We haven't any time to spare. Hurry!"  
  
Aragorn and Legolas tied ropes around the man's arms and legs to keep him balanced while galloping. They set off again, with Legolas and Gimli behind the stranger, to make sure that he would not fall. Legolas gazed at the man, who wore his hair pulled completely back into a loose knot. He wore britches of a strange, faded blue rough material and had a hole worn in one of the knees. The cloth coloring the man's chest was utterly unknown to him. It was big and bulky with a hood. It was almost like a cloak only it ended at his waist and did not fasten at the front. There was something strange, different about this man. Legolas could feel it, but it was not a feel of foreboding. It was quite the opposite. Legolas very much wanted to learn who this stranger was, where had had come from and what was his purpose. It would have to wait, however. They needed to reach King Theoden and prepare for the inevitable war. Of course, being an elf, it never entered his mind that this new guest might not even last the night. He had lost a lot of blood and had taken a considerable blow the head.  
  
The companions arrived at the Golden Hall at sunset. Gandalf went to deal with Wormtongue and the King with Aragorn and Gimli accompanying him while Legolas tended to their wounded rider. He took him into a large, open room and placed him on the bed. Legolas sent for water and rags to clean the wounds while he pulled the man's hair back out of his face. Legolas quickly dampened a rag and started to wash away some of the blood that had caked onto his face. He had gotten most of it off when he suddenly realized that this man was not what he appeared to be. In face the man a man at all, but rather a young woman! All of the blood and dirt had distorted her features so that one could not so easily tell. Underneath all of her cuts and bruises, Legolas guessed that she was quite fair. He cleaned her up and did all that he could for her injuries before having a maid come in to tend to the lady's clothing. He then rushed quickly back to the Hall to tell the others of his findings. 


	3. Chapter 3: Holy Crap! I'm in a Freakin'...

I was running; running down a grove of snow-covered oak trees. There was a black figure far off in the distance, and I started to quicken my pace; faster and faster until the trees on either side of me had become a blur of black and white shapes. I began to sweat. I had almost reached the figure when I suddenly opened my eyes  
  
I was lying in a beautiful bed, in an elegant, spacious room. I did not recognize it. I had to turn my head to see in the direction, for my right eye didn't seem to want to open. I sat up with a start at seeing a collection of spears in a corner, but I was forced to quickly lie back down again, for there was a tremendous throbbing in my head. I reached my hand up to my forehead only to discover a thick bandage wrapped around my brow. As I glanced down at myself I uttered a small cry.  
  
"Holy crap!" I gasped. "I'm in a freakin' dress!!!"  
  
I had despised dresses since kindergarten and that hate had only intensified through my years as they became more popular with my peers. They were long, cumbersome, uncomfortable, and you always had to be cautious of how you sat and which way the wind was blowing. Needless to say, I was quite appalled at waking up and finding myself in one.  
  
"What the heck is going on here?" I muttered as I slowly sat up in the bed, pressing my hand to my bandaged head. "Either a really bad hallucination or a really sick joke."  
  
I massaged my forehead, trying to ease the throbbing. Then faint sounds of voices drifted to my ears. I decided to go find the ones making the noise, and give them a thorough beating. This had to be one of Stephanie's pathetic attempts to get me into anything besides jeans and a sweatshirt. If she had done anything with my Levi's I swore I was going to kill her. I staggered out of the bed to the nearest wall. I was a little queasy and the walls kept spinning. So I walked slowly out of the room down the corridor towards the voices, supporting myself with the wall the whole time.  
  
"Slowly, that's it," I assured myself. "The dizziness will go away. I will NOT trip over this cursed dress." I said this last word with extra malice.  
  
The end of the passage opened to a large hall. Pillars were lined up on each side and there were several wooden tables near the opposite wall. Two men, one dark and tall, the other short and hairy were sitting at one of them. The tall one was smoking a pipe and the other was eating. Behind them leaning against one of the massive pillars was another younger man. He was tall as well, only more fair with long golden hair. He also had, I looked harder to make sure I wasn't mistaken, unnaturally pointy ears. To my right at the top of the magnificent hall were two more elderly men sitting in great thrones. The oldest one had long white hair and a white beard and was wearing robes of white. The other was wearing more ornate and colorful robes of a sort. At seeing all these strange clothes and great halls, I wondered if I had wandered onto the set of a King Arthur movie. As I had been inspecting my new location, the blond-haired, pointy- eared young man had noticed my presence.  
  
"It looks like our guest has finally awoken," he said softly. The others all turned to look at me.  
  
"Guest?" I croaked. My voice had picked that precise moment to crack and wail.  
  
"How are you feeling?" the blonde man asked.  
  
"Like I've been gored by a bull," I answered truthfully. The dark haired man chuckled. I stared at them all, waiting for something to happen. Surely, they did not expect me to know what was going on. The elderly man in all white spoke:  
  
"It's good you are up," he said. I could only assume he was talking to me. "King Theoden has just made his decision, and you are to leave at dawn."  
  
King? At dawn? What? Huh?  
  
"I on the other hand," he continued as he stood up, "must depart now." He strode over to the dark haired man at the table, said a few words, and then left the hall through a set of giant door at its other end.  
  
The tall man at the table stood up, looked me directly in the eye, and proceeded to tell me the names of the shorter bearded man, and the taller blonde one. The elderly chap that had been sitting in the throne had disappeared.  
  
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn," he said. "This is Gimli, son of Gloin," gesturing to the shorter one, "and this is Legolas Greenleaf of the Woodland Realm."  
  
If I had been expecting to learn anything from their names, I was utterly disappointed.  
  
"Come, join us," he continued, gesturing to the table beside him. "We have time to talk now."  
  
Glaring at him skeptically through my one good eye I took a step forward. As I let go of the wall, however, my knees gave out and I began to fall. But before I had reached the floor, the young blonde man had his arms around me and was helping me sit down. I hadn't been seated long when a large wooden bowl was pushed in front of me, filled with something resembling a stew. I couldn't tell if it was my impaired vision, or just the stew, but it did not look appetizing. The one called Legolas sat down opposite me. As I poked the stew cautiously he kindly asked me my name.  
  
"I'm not so sure I trust you that much yet," I replied. I was not about to go giving away any personal information about myself without having some of my own questions answered first.  
  
"First tell me where I am and how I got here. No, wait. First tell me why I'm in a dress and what you've done with my jeans."  
  
"I'm sorry, milady," Legolas said, "jeans?"  
  
I was stunned at his thickness. "My Levi's," I said. "My denim blue jeans." He looked genuinely puzzled. "Oh, come on! My pants, man! My g*# d@% pants! What have you done with my britches?!"  
  
He sat upright and spoke in gentle manner, "It is customary that when one comes to stay in another land, they dress in its fashion. And when we found you your clothes were very tattered and worn. We thought you would like something clean to wear."  
  
"They were no more worn than the clothes on your back!" I shouted. "And not much dirtier, either." Well, at least they weren't when I left the house that day.  
  
"Well, it is also most unusual.well that is to say that women.women."  
  
"That women what?"  
  
"They do not wear britches. In these lands they are clad in elegant gowns. It did not seem fit to dress such a lovely young lady in men's clothing."  
  
"Excuse me?" I screeched. "Men's clothing? I see here that the closest thing to britches that any of you men are wearing, are those lovely Robin Hood tights you've got on."  
  
"Calm down, milady," said the man named Aragorn, "he meant no harm. It is particularly hard for Elves to accept anything different from their own ways."  
  
I wasn't quite sure I was hearing right. "Hold on, did you say Elves?" I asked. "You mean to tell me that he's an Elf? What?" I was extremely confused, I had always pictured elves as those little guys with the pointy shoes and bells that hung out at the North Pole with Santa Clause.  
  
"Did you not hear me the first time?" asked Aragorn. "This is Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood."  
  
"Oh, so he's a prince too! How splendid! It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty," I said sarcastically, bowing slightly. "I don't suppose you've got fairies and trolls here as well?"  
  
"Fairies, no, but trolls, yes," grunted Gimli.  
  
"Oh, cut the crap," I said as I pushed the lumpy bowl of stew away from me. "Just give me back my clothes and my horse and let me go home."  
  
"We would gladly escort you back, but as of yet we do not know your name or from whence you have come," said Legolas.  
  
"Would you just drop the Shakespeare already? Unless we're not in Boise anymore, I don't see what the problem is."  
  
"Boise? Milady, you are in Rohan, home of the Horse Lords." 


	4. Chapter 4: Sea Jay, Is that like a Sea G...

The young woman stared at him through her only functional eye. The other had swollen shut and was wreathed in black and blue. Her mouth dropped slightly open. Her lip was also quite swollen and it only opened so far.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Rohan, milady," Legolas repeated. "The land of the horse lords."  
  
"Well, horses, that's not so bad. I could get used to that," she mused. "But.how? What? Where is this 'Rohan' place? Are we in Kentucky?"  
  
"I think the blow on the head rattled the young lass's brain," Gimli commented.  
  
"Just tell me what in the world is going on!" she pleaded desperately.  
  
"We were traveling to Edoras to aid King Theoden, when we came upon you," Legolas began to explain.  
  
"Wait, Edoras? King? Since when have there been kings?" the lady interrupted.  
  
"If you do not let him finish, you will never know the answer to your first question. Be patient," said Aragorn.  
  
"Patient?! How can I be patient? I'm strolling through the woods on my own property, get knocked on the head, and then wake up in some strange place surrounded by people I don't know. To top it all off, I'm wearing a dress! Who wouldn't be a little paranoid?" She started to hyperventilate slightly.  
  
"Calm down. Relax, we won't harm you. Just be patient, we will answer your questions, you may answer ours, and then we will straighten this situation out," said Aragorn calmly. The girl began to settle down.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, "please continue."  
  
Legolas looked at her quizzically. He had a strange feeling that this woman had not come from any place known to Middle-Earth.  
  
"When we found you slumped over your horse, it appeared that you had come out of the forest of Fangorn," he went on. "We assumed that you had been attacked, or escaped from an attack of Orcs." At the word 'orc' the girl lifted her eyebrow. Apparently, they also were things she was not familiar with. "You're face was quite bloody, and you were unconscious. Naturally, we took you with us. You were in need of assistance."  
  
"So let me get this straight," the girl said. "I was unconscious and bleeding from the head, but no one bothered to call a doctor?"  
  
Legolas was becoming quite puzzled by all of the strange terms the lady was using.  
  
"Never mind," she said. "So I was unconscious, but still riding did you say? I was still in the saddle?" This thought seemed to trigger something else, and she quickly added, "Where is my horse?"  
  
"He is stabled with the King's horses," said Aragorn, and seeing the worried expression on her face, he added "He is perfectly fine and the stable boys are taking good care of him."  
  
"They better," she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Now, I think that it is our turn to ask questions," Aragorn continued, saying this before the young woman could get another word in. "First and foremost, your name, Milady? We were so kind as to give you ours, so would you please now, grace us with yours."  
  
She glared at them, still trying to decide if it was safe to disclose any information about herself.  
  
"You can just call me CJ for now," she said.  
  
"Sea Jay.is that like a sea gull?" asked Legolas sincerely as he remembered the message that the Lady of the Wood had sent to him before. The girl laughed.  
  
"Sea Jay, Sea Gull, ha! I get it! That's funny! Hehe!" she laughed again. "Actually," she mused, "that's not half bad. Yeah, you can call me Sea Jay if you want." This thought seemed to please her greatly, for she had the slight hint of a smile on her face for some time after.  
  
"Where have you come from, and whither art thou going, Lady Sea Jay?" asked the Elf.  
  
"Well, uh, hmm." she pondered. She didn't seem quite sure how to answer. "I was just going for a ride in the woods back on my farm near Boise," she said. Legolas wondered what kind of place this 'Boise' was, of it had such strange maidens. "I was riding when a storm started up. I remember heading back towards the house when I heard a very loud noise from over head. Like the crack of a whip or something. And then my horse reared and I looked up as a tree branch came barreling down on me. The next thing I know, I'm here and in a dress. I have no idea how I got here. As far as I know this is some horrible prank being pulled at my expense." She stared at them accusingly.  
  
"I assure you, Milady, that this is nothing but real. I am grieved to say, however, that you have come at a most depressing time," Aragorn said. "We are expecting an attack soon, and must depart from this city shortly."  
  
"Attack? What kind of attack? Have we gone to war with Iraq?" the girl called Sea Jay asked.  
  
"Never you mind about that, now," Aragorn replied. "You're still weak and need rest. I suggest you go back to your room and sleep whilst you can."  
  
"Sleep?" she questioned mockingly. "I've been sleeping for who knows how long! If you don't mind, I'd much rather get my old clothes back and see my horse."  
  
Aragorn sighed. "Yes, you would, wouldn't you? Very well then, you may go. Legolas will escort you."  
  
She hobbled to her feet and made a pathetic attempt to walk on her own.  
  
"Escort me? Yeah, right of a cliff, he'll escort me," she mumbled as she slowly inched her way to the doors of the hall.  
  
"Aragorn," Legolas whispered, "you don't mean to take her with us to Helm's Deep?"  
  
"We have no other choice," replied Aragorn. "She is weak. There is no way we could let her off on her own with Saruman's forces moving. She can stay with the other women and children in the fortress. Once she is healed we can take her back to her home, though I know not where that is."  
  
"There is something different about her," Legolas said, glancing at the slightly crippled girl. "I can feel it. It is almost like she is here for a purpose. We may not need to take her anywhere." With this he left and went to her side to help her walk to the stables.  
  
* * * * * * * * 


	5. Chapter 5: We're not in Kansas Anymore!

"Watch where you put those hands, Elf-boy," I said when Legolas came over.  
  
I would describe the walk to the stables, but as I was quite dizzy and half blind I couldn't really tell where we were going. When we got there though, Fred had his head sticking out of the stall. I tried to run to him, but I was still being propped up by Legolas and so I had to content myself with a faster hobble.  
  
"Oh my baby," I cooed to him as I stroked his elegant cream-colored head. "How have they been treating you, precious?"  
  
"Precious?!" Legolas asked. I ignored him.  
  
"Where's his saddle and bridle?" I asked.  
  
"Right here," he motioned towards the half wall that was the side of the stall. "We did not wish to disturb them without your consent."  
  
"That was right polite of you. Though, that didn't seem to matter when you took my clothes." I smiled at him, while thinking Burn!  
  
I opened one of my saddle-bags and pulled out my little red cell phone. I turned it on, planning to call Kendra, or Kristen, or someone who'd explain all this to me. As it beeped on I noticed Legolas gawking at it.  
  
"What are you looking at?"  
  
"Pardon me. Milady," he said, still staring at it. "I have not seen such a thing in all my long years. Pray tell, what is it?"  
  
"A cell phone." I answered skeptically as I began to dial. But it appeared that I was out of my range for it was blinking NO SERVICE. That was when I realized that was no small prank, or even a large one for that matter. I was actually there. With an Elf in tights and bearded dwarf in place called Rohan.  
  
"Oh, crap." I muttered.  
  
* * * * * * * * 


	6. Chapter 6: Nap Time

I put my phone back in the bag as my thoughts began to run rampant. I started rambling off questions, more to myself than Legolas.  
  
"How did this happen? I mean, this isn't possible, is it? Why am I here? Where is here? How did I get here? Arg! I don't understand! Oh, my head!" All the stress was starting to make my head hurt again.  
  
"Shall I take you back now?" Legolas asked, seeing my pain. I didn't know what else I was going to do, so I said yes.  
  
We walked/hobbled to the stairs before the Hall that we were in earlier. I had been fighting my nausea the whole way, but it finally overpowered me.  
  
"I think I'm gonna be sick!" I said as I doubled over. "Sorry, I think I got your boots. But thanks for holding my hair back." Legolas said nothing and instead took off his boots and set them aside.  
  
It was then that I finally realized that my hair was down. I never wore my hair down; it bothered me, so I became even more frustrated with the situation.  
  
We were back in the room where I had awoken in earlier and I asked Legolas if I could have a rubber band to tie my hair up in.  
  
"Pardon me, milady?" he asked.  
  
"A rubber band," I said. Then more slowly, "Rub-ber band."  
  
"You want me to rub your hand? Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"No! A rubber band!" He looked at me confusedly. "Never mind, it's not worth it."  
  
Legolas looked at me again through narrowed eyes, but continued on. "I think it would be wise for you to get some more rest," he said as he helped me into the bed.  
  
"I'm not tired, I've been sleeping for days. I don't need to rest," I protested like a toddler. "It's just stupid, really." I was out before my head hit the pillow. 


	7. Chapter 7: Yee Haw! Ride 'em Cowboy!

I awoke again in the wee morning hours. I was quite pleased to find that I had full use of both my eyes and that someone had brought back my clothes. I unfolded my light blue, boot-cut Levi's with the hole in the right knee. But the hole I had worked so hard on perfecting was no longer there. It had been patched with some new material I wasn't familiar with. I was more worried though about the fact that someone had messed with my jeans. I loved those jeans. They were my 'go-anywhere, do-anything' pants.  
  
"How dare they patch my pants!" I exclaimed. "A hole like that is the sign of perfect wear. It took me years to get it like that, and they just go and patch it! What's wrong with these people?"  
  
I pulled them on underneath the dress I was wearing anyway. I then picked up my white T-shirt with the woman on a horse and Heaven on Earth message on it and put it on. It felt good to be back in my own clothes again. I also noticed, however, that my hooded sweatshirt was not there. Perhaps they found it too raggedy for any practical use, or perhaps it had gotten completely covered in blood after the branch hit my head. I decided not to worry about it; I had another spare denim shirt in my saddlebags.  
  
Next, I turned to the problem of my hair. It only came down just pass my shoulders, but it bothered me when it was down. It got all puffy and staticky. I wanted nothing to do with it. I looked around for anything I could turn into a hair bond. There was a thick cord belt on the dress that I thought would work pretty well, so I pulled it off and tried to think of how to cut a small piece off.  
  
"Dang it, if I just had that pocketknife," I grumbled. Then I remembered the spears in the corner of the room. I dashed over to them and started to saw at the rope on the point of one particularly sharp tip. Eventually a small piece frayed off. I tied a knot in it so it made a loop. I pulled my hair back and put it up into a large bun. Now I was left with a long piece of frayed rope. I felt slightly guilty at ripping off a piece of the dress that these people had kindly given me, but I re-looped the belt into the dress and hoped no one would notice. I had just finished folding the dress when Legolas walked in.  
  
"Already up and prepared to leave?" he said, a little astonished.  
  
"Of course," I replied matter-of-factly. "I'm quite use to getting up with the sun. This morning was no different than any other." Except that I'm rooming with an Elf and a dwarf in a place with no electricity or indoor plumbing, I added to myself.  
  
"Then let us go down to the horses and set out with the rest of the city," he said, letting me through the doorway.  
  
I was anxious to see just what kind of city this place was and when we got outside I was met with a scene out of the Middle Ages. There were hundreds of people all milling about, packing their bare essentials, strapping them to their backs; most of them looked like they hadn't had a bath in a year. I doubted that any of them had even heard of shampoo. Legolas led me to the stables where Fred was waiting for me. He looked cleaner than some of the people of the city, but he wasn't saddled.  
  
"We did not saddle your horse," he explained, "for we are not familiar with such tack and we thought that you would much rather use some of your own than some you did not know."  
  
"Thank you," I said as I began to saddle Fred with my Western pleasure saddle. Even though it was a pleasure saddle, I had packed with a couple of saddlebags and my rope for roping cattle. Once it was completely on, I pulled out my dark denim long-sleeved shirt from one of the bags, pulled it on, then mounted Fred.  
  
"Okay, Elf-boy," I said, "lead the way."  
  
"You seem incredibly stronger, seeing as just yesterday you could hardly walk and could only use one eye," he replied as he got on his horse with amazing ease.  
  
"Ya, well. I heal quickly."  
  
After that we set out on an awesome trek through the countryside to a place called Helm's Deep. There were mountains, plains, lakes and I thought that this wouldn't be such a bad place to live. As we walked I watched the so- called Elf, Legolas, with his long, flawless blond hair waving in the wind. And I couldn't help but think to myself, Dang, he's hot!  
  
We rode for hours as Legolas filled me in on what was going on. Apparently there was some Dark Lord guy by the name of Sauron who was trying to take over the world by means of a magic gold ring. I wondered what kind of 'evil' a little bitty gold ring could have besides locking one in holy matrimony. In addition to that there was another 'bad' guy; a wizard in cahoots with Sauron, named Saruman, who was breeding some ghastly beasts called Uruk-Hai, to come and destroy Rohan. I kept getting Sauron and Saruman mixed up, greatly agitating Legolas, though I thought it should have been a quite common mistake, seeing as they were but one syllable different. I mean, take out the 'm' in Saruman, switch the 'u' and the 'r' and what do you get? Sauron!  
  
Anyway, Legolas informed me of the dealings of this place called Middle- Earth, but when I asked what had become of this 'all-powerful' One Ring, he changed the subject, saying he needed to go check on things up ahead. He dismounted and walked quickly through the caravan.  
  
"Well fine, then," I said after him. "I'll just wait here, shall I?"  
  
All of the sudden there was a loud shout from up ahead. Aragorn came running up from behind a small knoll, yelling something I didn't understand, but made the hundreds of people scream in terror. The king, Theoden, ordered all 'riders' to come fight, while the civilians were to make for Helm's Deep. Wanting to know what was going on, and because I was a 'rider' myself, I stayed behind.  
  
I held back at first, waiting to see what was going on. Then to my horror, large ugly wolf-like creatures with even uglier things riding them collided with the Riders of Rohan. I hadn't had much time to realize what was happening, and before I knew it the battle had spread out to encompass me as well. One of the giant wolf-things started to charge right at me; like a rampaging rhino. Thanks to Fred's incredible barrel-racing and cow- cutting skills, however, we twisted out of his way just in time. I couldn't help it, but it gave me an incredible rush. The wolf-creature quickly turned around and headed back towards me. It took maybe 3 steps before an arrow pierced its throat, cutting off his air and killing it. I was joined shortly by Legolas, who did not seemed pleased to see me.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he cried. "You should be with the other women and children. You cannot fight, and you are still weak. You can not possibly hope to take on a fully-grown Warg! Go quickly! Make for Helm's Deep with the others!" he demanded. I met and held his gaze and said defiantly;  
  
"No. I'm not going anywhere! I don't even know where Helm's Deep is! Besides, you didn't seriously think I'd let you have all the fun, did you? No way! I'm here, I'm staying, and I'm fighting. Deal with it." I had absolutely no idea what I was saying, but Legolas left me there to fend for myself.  
  
My immediate thought was, What the @#%! am I doing here? My next was, how do I take one of these things out? I had no arrows, no sword or anything even remotely sharp. Then my eyes fell upon my rope, coiled neatly just above my knee. The wheels began to turn. I snatched it up and spurred Fred right at a wolf that had lost its rider, but was aiming at beheading Gimli all the same. After that instincts began to kick in. I circled the rope over my head and when I got within reach I let it fly. It sailed through the air in slow motion, looping itself directly around my target's neck. It pulled taught, snapped the wolf's neck and hurled it to the ground right before Gimli's feet. See, just like cattle-roping, I told myself.  
  
Usually I didn't like the idea of killing living things, but these creatures were more like monsters than anything else. They felt evil and when I looked at them I was filled with bitter hatred and disgust.  
  
I brought down another rather malicious looking one and its rider before it pounced on Aragorn. He did not see who did it but Legolas did. From across the field I saw him look at me in astonishment. It rather boosted my ego as I went over to the fell beast to retrieve my rope and Legolas gaped at me in awe. Eat your heart out, Fairy-boy, I thought as I smiled and waved at him.  
  
In perhaps a half-hour or so the wolves called Wargs began to retreat and the Riders of Rohan to recoop. There was still one Warg left though. It was hanging around the outskirts of the battle, checking out fallen riders. I rode up behind it with a spear, but as I got closer I suddenly got an incredibly outrageous urge to jump on its back and ride that thing!  
  
No, that would be just plain stupid, I told myself. But in the blink of an eye I had sailed from Fred's back to the Warg's and was riding it like a championship Bull Rider. It twisted and turned as I held on with every fiber of my being.  
  
"What is she doing?" cried Gimli from afar.  
  
"Yee-haw!" I yelled. "Ride 'em cowboy!"  
  
I was thoroughly enjoying myself as I felt the beast begin to tire. I felt like I almost had the thing under control when Legolas came galloping up, shot it dead, then caught me as I fell.  
  
"What in the world did you do that for?" I exclaimed. "I had him completely under control! You had no right to kill him like that!" I told Legolas bitterly.  
  
"And just what did you think you were doing?" he asked in relpy. "You have been conscience little more than a day, still have wounds that are not fully healed, and are considerably weak. What right have you to pull a stunt like that?" I didn't answer. He had a point.  
  
"Why didn't you just kill him?" asked a very beat up Aragorn.  
  
"Because that would have been far too logical, wouldn't it?" I said smiling.  
  
Legolas sat me down on my feet so I could mount my own trusty stead, but my knees buckled and I went crashing to the ground. My little 'cowboy' experience had completely drained me of any energy that I had had. Legolas dismounted and tried to help me back into my saddle. I ached all over.  
  
"Not so cocky now, are you? Oh great lady Jay of the Sea," asked Gimli, chuckling. I could have said something extremely rude, but decided against it.  
  
"Well that was fun," I said as we joined the others. "What's next?" * * * * * * * *  
  
  
  
Hey everybody-I'm having trouble thinking of how to end this. I've got a few ideas, but I'm not sure what to do. One idea is to have multiple endings or to kill Sea Jay off then she wakes up back in Boise, or she just dies completely. Please send me your thoughts! I would greatly appreciate them! Thanks! -Elven Frog 


	8. Chapter 8: That's Amore!

Just a few responses to reviews before my story continues:  
  
Little Mermaid: I like the Ent idea, but unfortunately I didn't think of them before finishing my story. Maybe if I find time later I'll write alternate endings. Maybe.  
  
Nova S.: Ya, I know someone would have to be living in the hills not to have heard of lotr before, but for the sake of the story she has no clue.  
  
Cassie-bear01: Yee haw! Ride 'em cowboy!  
  
Okay-so back to the story:  
  
There were very few Riders left and all went silently on their way to the refuge of Helm's Deep. Even though I was extremely tired, I was in good spirits for some reason. I began to hum an old Dean Martin tune: That's Amore. The others around me looked at me as though I had sprouted horns.  
  
It took hours to finally reach the fortress, but when we did my jaw dropped in awe. It was giant stone stronghold with a magnificent wall and tower. Right behind it were incredible mountains climbing high up to the heavens. I had to admit, I was impressed.  
  
We walked up the stone bridge into the fortress and were immediately greeted by a swarm of city people. It seemed that the entire country of Rohan had been packed into this one small space.  
  
I slid off Fred, pulled out a portable CD player and a Dean Martin CD from my saddlebags, and started to explore the stone stronghold. I walked through the crowds and sang along with my music.  
  
"Everybody loves somebody sometime," I sang, completely unaware of the skeptical looks coming at me from all sides. I didn't bother to think that these people had never seen a CD, let alone a CD player with headphones.  
  
I wandered over to the outer wall and looked out upon the vast plains of Rohan and the gorgeous mountains in the background. I cranked up the volume full blast and belted it out: "In the misty moonlight, by the flickerin' firelight, everything is alright, as long as you are there!" Legolas quickly came running up to me.  
  
"What are you doing?" he yelled over all the noise I was making.  
  
"What am I doing?" I asked. "Why! I'm singing!" I laughed. Legolas stared at me in disbelief, so I started churning out every line from every Dean Martin song I could remember.  
  
"I'm going back to Houston, Houston, Houston! How lucky can one guy get? I kissed her and she kissed me. Like a fella once said, ain't that a kick in the head?" I was grinning like a banshee and probably had gone slaphappy.  
  
"Lady Sea Jay," Legolas said, "I think you should come with me now. Get some rest." I turned and looked into eyes.  
  
"No wonder my happy heart sings! Your love has given me wings! Nel blu di pinto di blu." Legolas suddenly looked shocked. I think he had taken my words seriously. I laughed all the harder and started to skip along the wall. "When the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie, that's amore! When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore! Bells will ring! Ting a ling a ling, ting a ling a ling!" Suddenly I slipped and fell down some stairs, hitting my head and blacking out.  
  
When I finally came to my senses again it was dark. I was in a room where Aragorn and Gimli were putting on shirts of chain mail and Legolas was stocking up on arrows.  
  
"What's going on?" I asked.  
  
"An army of Uruk-Hai are coming and will soon be upon us," Legolas said. He tossed a shirt of mail at me and told me to put it on.  
  
"What? Why?" I asked. I had missed his previous point.  
  
"I assumed that you would fight," he smirked, "but if you'd rather join the other women and children in the caves, you are free to do so. Or perhaps you'd like to sing them to death?"  
  
"Eat dirt," I spat, though I silently smiled to myself.  
  
I attempted to pull on the shirt, but was having some difficulty.  
  
"Here, try taking of your jacket first," Legolas, suggested as he helped untangle me.  
  
"Legolas?" I mused as I pulled my jacket on over the mail. "Why am I here?" He looked at me quizzically.  
  
"I must admit," he said, "I have often pondered that riddle myself, but I don not wholly know. I am inclined to think that you have been sent here to aide the free people of Middle-Earth in their struggle to remain free."  
  
I sighed exasperatedly. "Ya, right. Me. I have no idea where I really am, what I'm doing here, what I'm up against, or how to use an axe, sword or bow, but I'm going to save the world." Legolas looked at me as if to say 'Ya, that's about right.' "I'm so confused," I sighed.  
  
"You seemed to be quite happy earlier, how much has changed since then?"  
  
"Just that I've finally come back to my senses."  
  
"Do not worry," Legolas said comfortingly. "Your path will soon be revealed, then we will all know for what purpose you have been brought here." It was too much for me to take.  
  
"No, Legolas," I said firmly. "I don't belong here. I have no secret purpose, no magical powers, nothing!" I yelled. "Nothing! I'm tired, so tired. I just.I just want to go home." Before Legolas could respond, a horn blew from outside. He looked over at Aragorn and the both of them quickly left. I walked over to Gimli, whose mail looked oddly like a dress, and asked him lightly, "Care to teach me how to use an axe?" 


	9. Chapter 9: Battle in the Deep

* * * * * *  
  
I was standing amongst a line of men and Elven archers along the outer wall of the fortress of Helm's Deep. I was armed with my rope, an axe and two knives. None of which I knew had to use in a battle situation. I was assured, however, that when the time came, I would do fine. I highly doubted it.  
  
The lines of small fires in the distance drew closer, thunder rolled and it began to rain. This is all too familiar, I thought to myself. It wasn't long before I got my first look at the so-called Uruk-Hai. They were hideous looking creatures, but what was even more frightening was how many there were. Ten thousand at least! $%@#! I muttered.  
  
There was a flash of light and another crack of thunder as the great orc host halted before the walls. No one moved, everything was silent until someone accidentally let an arrow go. It hit one of the orcs on the front line in the neck. It flopped right over and made a dull thud in the growing mud. Nice shot, I thought.  
  
The Uruk captain blew a note on his horn and the orcs stormed the Deeping Wall. Thus it began; the great battle of Helm's Deep, prelude to the mighty War of The Ring.  
  
The archers posted along the fortress rim let loose their arrows, creating a rain of death for the orcs. It only put a small dent in their massive numbers, however, and ladders began to appear all around. One such ladder rose directly in front of me, with a huge, armor less orc at its head. As it fell and anchored itself to the stone, I pulled out my axe and hewed the giant beast's head clean off. I silently thanked Gimli for his brief, but helpful lesson.  
  
Soon more orcs began to pour over the ladder, and I devised a very efficient system where I was reasonably protected from their swords, but they were completely vulnerable to my axe. I leaned against the wall, beneath the ladder, and when the orcs came over it, I whacked them before they even knew I was there. Ha! Eat that! I chortled to myself as I picked off my 5th Uruk-Hai. I swiftly began to tire, however, and was finding it difficult to raise the axe. So when there seemed to be a lapse in the stream of orcs, I sprinted away to a less chaotic location further into the keep. Whew! I sighed. Man! I can't possibly keep this up! This axe is way too heavy, I realized. I need something lighter, but I don't know how to use a bow! Curse it!  
  
Then I noticed a young boy who couldn't have been more than 14, about to get pounded by an Uruk. Something deep inside me stirred, and without thinking I ran. I couldn't let anything happen to him, I just couldn't. As I neared the monster I whipped out a knife from my belt and started slashing at him. He knocked me around in turn, but I eventually got the best of him. I looked at the young boy, so young, so innocent, so afraid. I had come too late, though. He sunk to the floor and was gone. I stared at his small broken body; limp and lifeless. It kindled a fire deep within my soul; how was it that someone could kill something so fair and pure with not a trace of guilt or remorse whatsoever. I was so caught up in my anger, that I didn't notice an arrow shoot directly into me. I was only brought out of my thoughts when I felt an excruciating pain all through the left side of my body. I glanced at the source of the pain; an orc arrow had found its way past my mail into my shoulder. All the anger, hatred and wild fury that I'd ever know came rushing up in this one instant. Then I pulled a very Joan of Arc-like moment. I grabbed hold of the arrow and yanked it out. I screamed; I screamed so loud it shook the rocks around me and reverberated all throughout the deep.  
  
After that I went sort of crazy; thrashing around, hacking at anything that came within range. If it was a videogame I'd of racked up enough points to get into the top 10 list. All at once there was a loud explosion as part of the wall blew up. What! I gasped. They've got TNT and we've got rocks? What's with that? Shortly after, Aragorn was yelling;  
  
"To the Keep! To the Keep!"  
  
Keep? I thought frantically. Where's that? Everything was happening so fast. I looked around me to see where everyone else was going. It was hard to tell, though, because the orcs were beginning to overrun the place. They're like cockroaches! I thought in disgust as I swiveled to face one. I stabbed it in the gut and it fell down at my feet. All of the sudden I was aware of a dull pain coming from my chest. I looked down to discover that an arrow had pierced my armor. Then I got the sensation that one has when dreaming. When you're no longer inside yourself, but instead are floating somewhere above you; watching as you see yourself fall to your knees. Legolas comes running over to you and holds you. You think to tell him 'goodbye', but no words come out of the body below. And as your vision begins to fade you see your own head loll lifelessly backward into his arms. You know no more.  
  
(the end)  
  
  
  
Well, I hope you all liked my story! Send me your reviews!! I want to know how you liked it. Thanks for reading!  
  
-Elven Frog 


End file.
